It's A Trust Exercise
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: "You have to believe he'll catch you! It's a trust exercise!" Surrounding Toothless and Hiccup's trust. Now a two-shot (New summary)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my name is BeyondTheClouds777. I write stuff. **

**OKAY, OKAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE HARD FOR ME TO SAY, BUT I NEED TO SAY IT! IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ AN A/N FROM ME IN YOUR LIFE, THEN I BBBBBBBEEEEEEEEGGGG OF YOU, READ THIS ONE, PLEASE! **

**Okay, so, well...the thing is...how do I put it...well, once I reach 75 stories, I think I'm going to take a break on on writing fanfictions until further notice. Of course, I'll still write now and again, and when I do write, my updates will be as they always were (fast, constant, and ya), but I won't post stories as often as I normally do. So, reaching 75 stories here...**

**I AM GOING TO DO ALL THE REQUESTS I CURRENTLY HAVE! Which includes: **

**What Became of the Crash (requested by movielover48)**

**A one-shot in which the twins discover coffee (requested by AnimeAngel, Guest) **

**A what-if in which Toothless and Hiccup really _do _leave during episode thirteen, "When Lightning Strikes" (RockStarForever1998)**

**Toothless crashes without Hiccup and has to get back to Berk alone (requested by HeroSeekerFrost)**

**Hiccup and Dagur when they were younger (requested by Silver Electricity) **

**A post-HTTYD2 story where Heather comes back on good terms with Berk, and really wild things happen (not full summary) (requested by Theanvil7558)**

**A "Defiant One" what-if (specifically requested to NOT be a death!fic) (requested by Guest)**

**What if Toothless killed Hiccup? How would HTTYD2 have ended? (requested by Transformers 0)**

**Hiccup is really mad at Valka for abandoning him as a baby (requested by IonitaMircea32)**

**A dragon that sounds like a Siren that lures people towards it (freyathefearless, Guest)**

**So, yes. I don't know if I'm going to take anymore requests for the time being, just so you all know. Anyways, yes. Once I reach 75 stories. **

**On another hand, here's a sort of drabble for the episode, "What Flies Beneath." And if I could ask that none of you hate me or flame me for being slow after I reach 75 stories. I'm not doing this because I have a grudge against someone, or got a bad review (because I don't really get flames very often), so I just want you all to know. My reviewers and followers are what makes writing fanfictions for me worth it all. **

**And besides, it's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll still post now and again. And it's not going to happen for probably a few months, anyways! 75 stories...it took me three quarters of a year just to get to 50 stories. You'll have me for a while. :) Anyways, here's your one-shot! :) **

"So, Toothless has an arch-enemy," Snotlout says. I sigh, exasperated, as I glance in his direction. I'm not in the mood for his unhelpful comments. "Sort of like you and me!" he adds, meeting my eyes.

"Snotlout…" I groan, "you're not my arch-enemy!"

"Well you're mine!" he says, putting two fingers in a V shape up to his eyes, and then pointing them both towards me. I groan. I can't stand my cousin sometimes.

"He's just trying to protect you," Astrid says, but I'm really not in the mood for _her _comments, either. Toothless is in danger. I'm not in the mood for wasting time _period_.

"That's not what it is!" Snotlout says flatly. I look at him. "Toothless doesn't want you around because this is between him and the other guy. He's a fighter. Like me." He looks at me again. "Not…whatever you are."

Normally, I would shrug his insult off with an eye-roll or face palm, but this time, I actually think about what he had just told me. Realization hits me like I've run into a brick wall.

"I…never thought I'd say this," I say, "Snotlout, but I think you're right."

"Wait…huh?" Snotlout says. He looks torn between prideful and confused. He looks at the other dragon riders. "You guys heard that, right?" he asks.

I ignore his comments. Focus. I need to stay focused. "It's not a fair fight!" I shout to get my voice across the wind rushing through our faces. "If Toothless is gonna win, he has to fly, and he can't fly without me!"

I can't help but think back to Snotlout's earlier remark: _"Aaand…whose fault is that?" _It hurts to deny the truth. It _is _my fault Toothless can't fly. If I hadn't shot him down that one night, maybe he would still have both his back tailfins. Maybe he wouldn't depend on me.

"So, what are you saying?" Astrid asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I'm saying we need to find him," I reply without hesitation. "And soon."

Astrid motions for Stormfly to fly directly over the forest, and she does so without hesitation, flying so close to the treetops that her claws graze the leaves. It takes a few moments, but we spot Toothless running, navigating himself through the trees, in search of his rival.

Running…not flying.

_"And…whose fault is that?" _Snotlout's words come back to me yet a second time. I really hate how right Snotlout is sometimes. Sure, he's arrogant, but he's also smarter than he appears.

It occurs to me at that moment that I don't have a plan. Literally, my mind is blank. I have no idea what I'm going to do once Astrid lands. It's clear Toothless doesn't want us interfering, so I'm going to have to do something drastic to get his attention.

But what? I feel so stupid for not coming up with a plan before now.

"There he is!" I shout. The words spill from my mouth without me hardly thinking about just what it is that I'm saying. "Get me down there," I say. Astrid doesn't hesitate. She lands Stormfly nearly ten feet away from where Toothless stopped in his tracks.

I slide off Astrid's dragon and approach my own with an outstretched hand, just like I had done the first time I met him. This feels so much like the previous event it's almost unnerving; Toothless needs help, I want to help him.

And, just like the first time I met Toothless, I don't know what to do.

I step right up to Toothless, and he looks at me. I don't waver in my steps. I pause when my hand is just a few inches away from him, waiting for him to react. I did my part. Now it's his turn.

It takes a moment, but he eventually presses his forehead into my hand. I hug his head lightly, and he nuzzles me back.

"Hey, bud," I say. "You had me so worried for a while there." I close my eyes for just a moment. "You haven't been yourself lately." I pull away, a small smile forming on my face. "Good to see you're still you."

As if on cue, the ground rumbles. The Whispering Death shoots out of the dirt, an ear-piercing roar tearing through his throat. Toothless growls.

"You can just walk away from this, bud!" I shout. I really don't want to see Toothless fight again. I've already seen enough of that for a lifetime in just so short of an amount of time. Besides, I know what a Whispering Death can do. They're deadly, dangerous, and just about everything in between.

However, when Toothless growls, and the Whispering Death returns the gesture, I know that I'm going to have to think fast before they attack each other again. Just as I'm making a motion to mount Toothless, he jumps forward, lunging, running towards his arch rival.

Perfect.

"You were so close!" Fishlegs shouts as he and the others run up behind me. "I thought you had him!"

_I did, too, _I think, but find myself unable to say anything. I watch as Toothless and the Whispering Death wrestle each other. I remember what Fishlegs had said in the tunnels.

_"A grudge." _

_"If that's true, how long do dragons carry a grudge?" _

_ "To the death." _

Neither Toothless nor the Whispering Death are going to stop until they have a victor. Only one of the two are going to be walking away from this.

I'm going to make sure it's Toothless. Call me selfish, but I would rather see him walk away from it alive than the Whispering Death.

"He needs our help," I say blatantly. I'm just about to give orders to the other dragon riders, when apparently, Toothless beats me to it. He roars at them, and the dragons stop dead in their tracks.

"Come _on, _girl!" Astrid shouts at her dragon, but the Nadder doesn't move.

"Hookfang won't budge!" Snotlout yells, clearly irritated. I know what's happening, but I don't want to believe it.

"I think ours is broken," Tuffnut says when his and Ruffnut's two-headed dragon refuses to move as well.

No. No, no, no, no. Toothless didn't; but I know he did. He had told the dragons not to interfere; not to fight; not to _try_.

Wonderful. Now we're doomed.

"They know this isn't their fight, guys," Fishlegs says. Part of me wants to yell at him for being so _obvious_, whereas the other part is just telling me to keep calm, and remain focused.

It takes me a moment before I realize that the Whispering Death has backed Toothless up onto a sea stack. Toothless is giving everything he has against his attacker, but it isn't working. He can't fly, either. Toothless has no escape.

Doomed.

Stuck in the mud.

A downed dragon.

_And whose fault is that? _

"TOOTHLESS!" I shout, hoping to finally get his attention. It's not like I can do anything, but his name still escapes my lips as I scream. There's fear in his eyes. "Buddy," I whisper. For a split second, as my dragon locks eyes with me, I think I've gotten to him, somehow. My hearing turns fuzzy, my vision almost in slow motion.

Just as soon as it comes, it's gone, and Toothless is defending himself against the Whispering Death again.

"He's gonna knock Toothless into the canyon!" I shout. _Now who's being obvious? _part of my mind snaps at me.

_"…how long do dragons carry a grudge?" _

_ "To the death." _

The words repeat through my head multiple times before I react. I rush forward in an attempt to see better, skidding to a stop when I reach the cliff's edge. There's no way I can get to Toothless.

My mind suddenly forms an idea.

I can't get to Toothless, yes, but maybe…maybe I can get Toothless to come to me.

This is the "something drastic." This is my plan. As I stand at the cliff and peer over the side, however, my mind wavers. I'm about to step off a cliff side to get his attention. A sudden thought intrudes my mind.

What if he doesn't catch me?

The instant I think about it, I try to forget it. _Of course _he'll catch me. He always catches me. He caught me while I was falling from the sky during the battle against the Red Death. I was unconscious then, but he caught me. He caught me every single time I stumbled while getting used to my prosthetic, from the first time I walked with it, to the last time I needed his assistance.

This time will be no different. Why, then, does my mind beg to differ?

I am suddenly thinking about all the dragon trust exercises we underwent previously at the academy.

"_You have to believe they will catch you!" _I had shouted to my class. _"It's a trust exercise!" _

"_Well I like to do _my _trusting on the ground, thank you!" _Fishlegs had responded.

_Me too, Fishlegs, _I think to myself. _Me too. _

This is a trust exercise. That's all it is. Just a trust exercise. Only this time, it's the real deal. If I fall, and he doesn't catch me…

There is no positive way to finish that statement.

Before I even have a chance to fully think it over, I close my eyes, and step off the cliff.

"HICCUP!" I hear Astrid shout. She probably thinks I'm crazy.

Maybe I am?

She sounds more shocked than anything, and in truth, I'm a bit shocked with myself. What am I doing? What's my plan B if plan A fails?

That's the thing. If plan A fails, I'll be dead.

As I fall through the air, my mind races. Toothless has to catch me, or it's so long Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. After a few moments (and no sign of Toothless), I begin to panic. I don't scream, but my mind is silently screeching at me.

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.

I can already imagine my funeral; Snotlout will step up, probably say something along the lines of, "Yeah, Hiccup was my cousin, but he was an idiot, stepped off a cliff…and that's kind of why we're here," and everyone will agree. Astrid will probably say something…she'll probably yell at my grave and scold me for being so _stupid_ until her voice is hoarse.

_I have to believe he will catch me. It's a trust exercise. It's a trust exercise. Just a trust exercise. Toothless will catch me. He always catches me. He'll catch me. He'll catch me. He'll catch me… _

_Keep telling yourself that, _the sarcastic part of my mind says. I hate my sarcasm. It never does anything helpful.

The wind blows my auburn hair across my face. The ground should be close by now. So should Toothless. If he's not…

I close my eyes. The ground is close. My heart pounds against my chest. I can hear each beat through my ears with sudden clarity. My breath rattles, catching in my throat.

_Come on, Toothless, _I think. _I trust you, bud_.

It's a trust exercise.

I trust him. I trust Toothless with my life. Me stepping off a cliff is bound to get his attention. If it doesn't, then nothing will.

I still don't scream. I still don't shout. I still don't yell for someone to do _something_. I trust my dragon more than I trust myself. I trust that he will catch me. I do. I really, honestly, do.

I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the impact of the ground against my back, but it never comes. Instead, I slam into warm scales.

Toothless.

I hear the Whispering Death roar faintly, followed by a small rockslide that sends stones and dust everywhere. It clouds my vision, but not for long. I shove my prosthetic into the foot petal, opening Toothless' prosthetic tailfin. An instant later, we're airborne.

I could laugh.

"You save me," I say to Toothless, "I save you. It's the way we do things."

Toothless grunts in agreement, and we double back around to scare off the Whispering Death.

As you fall (sometimes literally) through life, it's good to know who you can trust. I trust Toothless, and he trusts me.

It's great to know he has my back.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

"**What Flies Beneath" is such an awesome episode, hence the reason I wrote this one-shot. It was truly an amazing episode; it really captured each of the characters with flying colors, which is something that really impressed me. **

**I still can't get over Astrid's facial expression when Hiccup steps off the cliff. So priceless. She just looks so confused and shocked and just like, "Hiccup…what are you doing…!?**

**I think the entire How To Train Your Dragon franchise is pretty much this: **

**Everyone: "NO, HICCUP, NO!"  
Hiccup: "YES, HICCUP, YES!" **

**Sometimes I wonder what really caused the rivalry between Toothless and the Whispering Death. Hiccup clearly stated in the episode that "they have a history", but we never really learn just what that "history" is. Maybe I'll do a one-shot on it sometime. :)**

**That just about sums it up. Well, I hope you all liked this one-shot. :)**

**Until next story! :)**

**-BeyondTheClouds777 **


	2. Chapter 2

**This is chapter 2! :D I decided to make it a two-shot, because, well, what the heck. :D I love writing. :D Enjoy! :D **

* * *

"It wasn't your fault, bud," I say nervously, putting my hand towards my dragon. Images flash through my mind: my father running towards me...the sound of the plasma blast exploding...my father, lifeless on the battlefield...

Toothless didn't do that. I have to remind myself of that. It really _wasn't _Toothless' fault. It was Drago's. Drago killed my father. He's to blame. I want to do something drastic, but right now, Toothless needs me.

"They...they _made _you do it," I say. My hand is only inches away from Toothless' face. If he snaps at me, he'll bite my hand clean off. The thought terrifies me, but I don't back down.

_No. Toothless would never hurt me. He would never, and even if he did, it would be because of Drago, not Toothless. Not Toothless. Not Toothless. _

"You...you would never hurt him," I say, thinking of my father. Toothless' eyes dialate for a split second before narrowing once again. _It's working. I'm doing it. _"You would never hurt _me_."

Toothless growls. He's trying to break free of the bad Alpha's mind controlling abilities. He's trying...he's fighting...

_You can do it, you can do it, come on, buddy... _

Drago says something, but I tune him out. I can't even make out the words he spoke. My focus is on Toothless and on Toothless only. If I can't save Toothless, then there isn't anyone else who can.

"Please, Toothless," I say. "You...are my best friend." Toothless' eyes dialate for another moment, and this time, they stay that way for longer than the pervious time. My hand presses against his forehead. I can feel tears building up in my eyes. _This is it. I have to do this. For Berk. For my friends. For my family. For Toothless._ _"My best friend," _I whisper, speaking with more force.

Toothless' eyes go back to normal, and he presses his head into my hand like a puppydog seeking attention.

"Attaboy! That's it!" I say exciedly. "I'm here!" Toothless looks _beyond _happy. He looks as though he would explode by the amount of pure _joy _in his eyes.

"No!" Drago shouts, whacking Toothless with his bullhook. Anger threatens to bubble up in my being, but before I even have a chance to react, Toothless beats me to it. He grabs the staff between his teeth and yanks on it. Within a moment, Drago is no longer on Toothless back.

"Yeah!" I shout. He did it. Toothless did it. _We _did it, together.

Toothless roars happily, his teeth sheathed, his tongue flapping out of his mouth.

The moment is ruined when he falls out of the sky with a roar of surprise. He's falling. His tailfin is shut. There's no one to keep him airborne.

"Hold on!" I shout, standing up and leaping off the baby dragon I'm mounted on without thinking about my own safety. As I fall, my mind is only focused on one thing and that one thing only:

I have to save Toothless.

I have to save my best friend. He broke free of Drago and his Bewilderbeast, but if I don't get to him before the ground does, then it would have been all for naught.

_He could be killed. _

_ NO. I won't ALLOW him to be KILLED. _

"Almost there, buddy, almost there!" I shout.

I narrow my eyes without thinking about what I'm doing. I'm so close now...so, so, so very close...all I have to do is...

The next thing I know, I'm sitting on his back. I click my prosthetic into the foot petal, and Toothless rockets back into the sky.

We did it.

"Do something!" Drago shouts at his Bewilderbeast.

_ NOT TODAY, _I think to myself.

"We have to get those two apart," I say. As we fly, we pass a flag we used for Dragon Racing. I grab it, tear a piece off of it, and hold it in front of Toothless where he can see it. "We got to block them out, bud," I explain hastily. "Do you trust me?"

That's the main thing; trust. I remember what I had told my Dad when he was training his dragon: _Dragon training begins and ends with trust. Both of yours. _I trust Toothless with my life, and I'm certain that he trusts me as well, but still...sometimes, I often wonder.

This is it. _Do you trust me, Toothless? _

Toothless growls, nodding in response. I hold my breath, putting the fabric around his head, covering his eyes like a blindfold. "We can do this," I say, "you, and me." I put my hand over his blindfold. "As _one_." Toothless growls in reply. "That's it!" I say. "Now let's try this one more time..."

We rear back around, towards Drago.

We're winning this one.

Together.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**I wanted to do a second chapter, because, I mean, hey, it fit perfectly, and I love it! :D I hope you all do, too! :D I loved writing this, honestly. It was SO FUN writing about the best friend relationship Toothless and Hiccup have. It's awesome. :D **

**I hope you all enjoyed this second part to the original one-shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) **

**Until next story! **

**-BeyondTheClouds777**


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